How many stills have you built?

[corene1]

I was just wondering how many stills a person will build in their distilling career. Being a tinkerer at heart I have probably built way too many stills and an abundance of different parts and pieces for said stills, but have had great fun and learned quite a bit along the way. It seems I learn something new on every build and discover building flaws on projects that were done a few years back. It is all a learning process some good and some not so good. I see many folks here building their first still and struggling with different aspects of the build and I try to help, but not being well traveled I have discovered that many of the tools and supplies that are readily available in my area are very difficult to get in other areas so I see a lot of creativity and the ability to make what you have work. Some of the stills I see here are so creative and the artistic value is beyond belief, they are quite amazing to be sure.
So far I have built 8 complete stills from five gallons to 28 gallons . Some all copper some all stainless and some a composite of both. I have built 2 plated column stills. 1 packed column still and the rest are pot still with thumpers. I have also built quite a few individual projects as additions or modifications to said stills or for others folks stills. So again I am just curious about what all you other tinkerers are up to and do you think we will ever quit trying to build something new or different.

[bitter]

Only 6.. 2 were for me 4 for other people... and sold my second 2 inch boka for parts to make my 3 inch

[JellybeanCorncob]

Hello Corene: Its nice to finally get to reply to a post of yours. My name is Jellybean Corncob.(not really).
My dad was a engineer/machinist, and could fix or build whatever he had a mind to do. Most of what I learned was from watching him work and helping him when I was young. I've built three stills so far and a boka Column. My first still was a POS one gallon pot still. Then I made an all copper 3gal pot still, I still use it for making essential oils. The third still is a lovely boiler and thumper with all 2inch copper piping and a 32inch liebig. Works a treat!
Thanks for asking.
JBC

[HDNB]

built 3 all copper, bought the last one cause it was easier and likely cheaper than to build. I wanted a SS rig to so not having a tig at the time it would have been a soldering nightmare to attempt!

[Bushman]

I have built three with another one in the works. My first was a 2" VM, second was a 4" CM. I built a small third pot still for essential oils. My next one will be another small still for making gin and other botanicals from neutrals. Also when Mash Rookie was alive we worked together with our specific skill sets to build several other stills that he used for experimental purposes to further information for members of this forum.

[corene1]

So far it looks like we as tinkerers will never stop building even though we have what we need, there is always something we want to try, or do better. I was hoping it wasn't just me.

[googe]

Was thinking about this the other night, I think I've done, 4 plated columns, 1x cm packed, 2x Lm packed, 3x pots, might be others I can't remember lol.

[Kareltje]

For my first still I collected the parts and then I let these modify by people with the right skills and tools.
My second still I built myself, based on second hand parts and newly bought parts.
I bought my third still for a crate of beer. This still was hand made by a friend from second hand parts, including a lampshade. Modified it a bit and made a seat for it.
The fourth still I bought, but it is clearly handmade and I immediately modified it, exchanging the soldered joints with unions.
The fifth still was a small glass one, bought as one item. Made a stand for it and a safe place to keep it.

So I am just modest, compared with your activities, but I understand your urge to think constantly about improvements.
Just today I resoldered the lid of my thumper to improve it (I hope!).

The constant lookout for things to be changed into usefull parts for a still is fun.

[Soft batch]

Three boilers, with at least two head/column configurations on each. Half the fun of this hobby is building stuff!

[zapata]

I think I've had 6 boilers, 3 pot heads, 5 PCs, 3 LM contraptions, 2 VM contraptions, 2 RCs None of those I really saw as complete stills on their own, and every piece was used with at least more than 1 combo of others. So if I actually just put them together in all possible combinations(if I remember my math right) I've "built" 90 pot stills, and 360 reflux rigs?! I must have forgotten how to math, that cant be right!

Realistically, in my mind it's more like 3 pot stills and 3 reflux stills, though I've certainly run in more combinations than that, just combining doohickies doesn't really feel like it's a whole new still!

[Desvio]

One potstill a few decades ago, sold it when I needed cash. But then ten years ago I needed to get back into it and built a modular based on a 8gal milk container that quickly escalated to a keg (all still modular). All of it sits in the garage and gets assembled into various configurations where soemtimes the milk container is the boiler, and sometimes it's the thumper. All of it is running on electric 4500-5500W elements, all of which I am very proud of.

So three I guess, or maybe two, really a dynamic question depending on my mood.

[Appalachian spirits]

Building seems to be universally constant.

[aircarbonarc]

Building seems to be universally constant.

My old 2" column I ran my first run on is now being used as the shell for my current shotgun condenser.

I've built some simple boka stills, then more complex parts that fit the simple boka stills, experimented with sheet metal and even drew up some plans for a simple beer keg pot still that can be "chopped and modded" as skills and hobby progress. I've helped some friends and coworkers who've gotten into the hobby. Right now I'm looking at upgrading to steam for ease of cooking grains, as well as a potstill/plated column setup upgrade for more ease of distilling as well as learning.

[Alchemist75]

One, I've built only one. The boiler is an antique ss 5 gallon milk can that was made no later than the 1940's. It's fully modular with a reflux column option and a pot still w/reflux purifier. Little thing makes some good spirit. I've done all sorts of set ups with my glass lab equipment but I can't claim that I "built" those so they don't count.
I'll soon be building another for my best friend, that will probably a peculiar species of pot still. Looking forward to that.

[nerdybrewer]

I built one pot still and have used it for everything.
I've got all the stuff to build a thumper, second keg and all the copper to finish it.
Just need to find the time!

[jonnys_spirit]

I ordered a potstill from milehi. Ebay Ordered all the parts for a 3” CCVM and haven’t run it yet. 3” all the way through shotgun where it goes down to a 1/2” product tube feeding into an inline parrot w/dump valve. I might replace the 36” SS riser with copper pipe but have purchased enough copper mesh to pack the column and parts of the shotgun. I bought the shotgun and made the parrot myself. Also made an improved and longer liebig for the potty. The potty does pretty much everything I want except neutral (which is few and far between), and small gin / sambucca macerations so i need to either purchase or make a 10’ish liter size for those. I find that the potty fills most of my needs. If I made something to replace that it would be all copper with plenty of ports for draining, manhole, thermo’s, dual element, sight glass, etc... plated column sounds pretty sexy but I can’t justify the increased cost or complexity when the current potty pretty much does all the above. A nice sized thumper would be a pretty expansive addition.

Cheers!
-js

[Chauncey]

3 or 4. All 13.5 gal copper pot, stainless 5 gal stillspirits boiler w hybrid external cm coil, a keg w 2" external coil, and a long time ago a stock pot setup that was dangerous af

[NZChris]

Five boilers that can be run in a variety of configurations including preheater, Bokakob, fusel side draw and Carter Head.

[johnsparrow]

Seventy eight last count.

[corene1]

Seventy eight last count.

So what is number 79 going to be?

[Copperhead road]

I can’t wait to see emptyglasses numbers.....

[Fivey]

Seventy eight last count.

I assuming you are producing a product for our market (yay NZ!)? What brand are you selling them under?

[Yummyrum]

So far it looks like we as tinkerers will never stop building even though we have what we need, there is always something we want to try, or do better. I was hoping it wasn't just me.

corene , you are so right .
I've only ever built one dedicated still as a complete unit and that was for a mate . For myself , its always been a work in progress . I first modified my "Still Spirits " boiler so I could build my 2" LM/VM Reflux . That was my first build . Then I made a really simple pot still head for it . Then modified it . Then decided to stick my original Still Spirits reflux head on my 2" packed column .That was a failure so I tried various experiments to see if it could be done but canned it . Then I made a CM module for it . Then remodeled it back as a VM/LM again .
Then the flute adventure started . with various boilers .
Decided to build another Pot still head then a thumper .
Then another Potty for by Mate and another with my Brother in law.
Then a 4" packed section .
Several variations of cooling systems .
Then all the oddball things like Air pressure keg drainers, adjustable Deflag , Controllers etc .

Love the opportunity this hobby has for the Tinkerers . I think I like the building more than the Distilling .

[DoubleJ]

I've built two 10 gallon copper pot stills, one ~2 gallon copper thumper, one 4 gallon copper condenser/worm, one 15 gallon copper condenser/worm and one 30 liter oak barrel thumper.

Right now I have enough copper cut to make 10 more complete still kits, ranging from 5 gallons to 25 gallons. I am going to sell these. I found a local machine shop that has a CNC waterjet machine. I got them to cut all my pieces on it, about 90 of them in total. I had to provide them with the drawings and all the math calculations for the radiused/curved pieces. It was a bit of head scratching, but worth it as I know I have good consistency on all the pieces.

[corene1]

So far it looks like we as tinkerers will never stop building even though we have what we need, there is always something we want to try, or do better. I was hoping it wasn't just me.

corene , you are so right .
I've only ever built one dedicated still as a complete unit and that was for a mate . For myself , its always been a work in progress . I first modified my "Still Spirits " boiler so I could build my 2" LM/VM Reflux . That was my first build . Then I made a really simple pot still head for it . Then modified it . Then decided to stick my original Still Spirits reflux head on my 2" packed column .That was a failure so I tried various experiments to see if it could be done but canned it . Then I made a CM module for it . Then remodeled it back as a VM/LM again .
Then the flute adventure started . with various boilers .
Decided to build another Pot still head then a thumper .
Then another Potty for by Mate and another with my Brother in law.
Then a 4" packed section .
Several variations of cooling systems .
Then all the oddball things like Air pressure keg drainers, adjustable Deflag , Controllers etc .

Love the opportunity this hobby has for the Tinkerers . I think I like the building more than the Distilling .

Same story here, always tinkering,but I have finally started to think things through a bit more. Everything starts with a 4 inch ferrule and clamp setup so I can swap pieces around. All my boilers have a 4 inch ferrules at the top as well as all my miscellaneous column pieces. The tops always end in a 3/4 inch union to hook my liebeg or graham condenser to. Some of the things I have standardized on my boilers is a good drain port as well as a fill port, it makes things so much easier on multiple runs. The fill ports are 2 inch ferrules so I am going to make a funnel that has a ferrule on the end so I can clamp it to the boiler for filling . No more spills when loading things up alone. Guess I should just break down and get a transfer pump. I currently have 4 boilers , 22,15,10 and 6 gallons respectively. I have built a single thumper top that will clamp to each one with an adjustable input tube so I can run any boiler and thumper combination as well as any other top , be it a plated column or packed column. These are all modular as well so I can run 1 to 4 plates or a single plate with a packed column section on top. The packed column is in 2 sections , one 12 inch and one 24 inch so I can run combinations on top of the plate or a single 36 inch packed column. I use rashing rings we have at the shop for packing and they seem to work well. Here are a couple of pictures one of the first thumper top I made in 2 inch and the other is the rashing rings.

[Crisppy123]

I think im at 5 starting to upgrade to 4" now From college with A 5gal put with a 3/8 worm to my modular keg boka/pot still.
I don't think the itch to go bigger or better is going away any time soon. Have barely started my 4" and I'm thinking about a 6" on a bigger boiler!

[ezlle71]

Started out with the imfamous wolrd class distillation apparatus, then modified it with a dephleg and omitted the cross tubes and filled it with copper scrubbies. Then built my pot still and single point thumper setup and my trombone condenser. Made a simple pot still head and liebig for a buddy i worked with, traded for an old turkish mauser. And now i just finished my 3" 4 plate flute. Always used keg boilers. First on propane, then after the first year converted to electric. Single best thing was going electric.
So i guess built 4 so far.

[pope]

5 boilers
~4 columns
7-8+ condensers
2 steam boilers

Plus the first kit that I just bought. Some of these parts are long gone and at least one keg boiler is out in the yard gathering leaves, but maybe it'll be handy one day? Tricky numbers since there's overlap. Pretty sure at least one condenser was just because I was bored and had the parts, never used it. Like others said, its all tinkering so where does one become a new build or just a mod? We can start talking about Lincoln's Ax.

[Twisted Brick]

5 boilers
~4 columns
7-8+ condensers
2 steam boilers

Well, pope, since you've been 'semi' successful limiting your (metal) hobby to 18-19 projects, I would say you've been only mildly infected. Controlled Obsessive Vapor Inducing Distillation virus. I hear the most common cure is a steady regimen of 43-63% ABV (Aged-in-Barrel Vaccine).

[pope]

Ha! I'm including a few kegs that had one or zero welds. I honestly think the problem is I don't use the equipment or drink the product nearly enough.